Medicine News

Gut-Innervating Neurons Can Sense What We Eat, Study Suggests

Borgmann et al. employed intersectional genetic manipulations to probe the feeding and glucoregulatory function of distinct sensory neurons; they reconstructed the gut innervation patterns of numerous molecularly defined vagal and spinal afferents and identified their downstream brain targets; bidirectional chemogenetic manipulations, coupled with behavioral and circuit mapping analysis, demonstrated that gut-innervating, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R)-expressing vagal afferents relay anorexigenic signals to parabrachial nucleus neurons that control meal termination; moreover, GLP1R vagal afferent activation improved glucose tolerance, and their inhibition elevated blood glucose levels independent of food intake; in contrast, gut-innervating, GPR65-expressing vagal afferent stimulation increased hepatic glucose production and activated parabrachial neurons that control normoglycemia, but they were dispensable for feeding regulation. Image credit: Borgmann et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.05.002.
Jun 7, 2021 by News Staff

In a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers took a closer look at the functions of different sensory neurons in the control center of the vagus nerve, which is one of the biggest nerves connecting our gut and brain. Borgmann et al. employed intersectional genetic manipulations to probe the feeding and glucoregulatory function of distinct sensory neurons; they reconstructed the gut innervation patterns of numerous molecularly...

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A healthy diet that includes the consumption of popular fruits, such as apples, bananas and oranges, but not fruit juice, may play a role in mitigating risk of type 2 diabetes. Image credit: Romanov.

Healthy Diet Rich in Whole Fruits May Play Role in Mitigating Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Jun 3, 2021 by News Staff

In a study of 7,675 Australians, higher total fruit consumption was associated with better measures of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity; furthermore,...

Vimaleswaran et al. provide genetic evidence for the association of milk consumption with higher BMI but lower serum cholesterol levels. Image credit: Imo Flow.

Study: High Milk Intake Is Not Associated with Elevated Levels of Cholesterol

Jun 1, 2021 by News Staff

In a new meta-analysis of previous studies, a team of researchers from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand found that people who regularly drank...

A new study by Chakraborty et al. suggests a potential association between circadian rhythms and myopia in humans. Image credit: Oscar Aznar.

People with Myopia More Likely to Experience Poorer Sleep Quality: Study

May 31, 2021 by News Staff

Myopia, or near-sightedness, is the most common refractive vision disorder and predisposes the eye to many blinding conditions in adulthood. According...

Dry age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of vision loss in people over the age of 50. Image credit: Pexels.

Optogenetic Therapy Partially Restores Vision in Blind Patient with Retinitis Pigmentosa

May 26, 2021 by News Staff

A blind, 58-year-old male patient with retinitis pigmentosa experienced partial recovery of vision after a novel optogenetic treatment. A blind patient...

C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the body, was found in higher levels in depressed people compared to non-depressed people. Image credit: Jawahar Swaminathan & MSD staff, European Bioinformatics Institute.

People with Depression Have Higher Levels of Inflammation, Study Says

May 20, 2021 by News Staff

A team of scientists at King’s College London investigated the pathways — genetic, environmental, lifestyle, medical — leading to inflammation...

Jatrana et al. demonstrated suboptimal hand hygiene practice in adolescents. Image credit: Manuel Darío Fuentes Hernández.

Study: Only One in Three Adolescents Practice Appropriate Hand Hygiene

May 19, 2021 by News Staff

Among 354,422 adolescents from 92 low- to middle- and high-income countries, only 30.3% were found to practice appropriate hand hygiene. Jatrana et al....

Diet-induced obesity results in Paneth cell dysfunction in humans and mice. Image credit: Liu et al., doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.04.004.

Western Diet Causes Damage to Immune Cells in Gut, Study Shows

May 19, 2021 by News Staff

Paneth cells, immune cells in the gastrointestinal epithelia, modulate innate immunity and infection. In Crohn’s disease, genetic mutations together...

Kennedy et al. found that fetal gut colonization of healthy term infants does not occur before birth. Image credit: Darryl Leja, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Bacteria Colonize Our Gut During and After Birth, New Study Shows

May 18, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Germany and Canada has investigated whether bacteria could be detected in prenatal stool (meconium) samples. Kennedy...

Vegetarians have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters. Image credit: Rita E.

Study: Vegetarians Have Healthier Biomarker Profile than Meat-Eaters

May 17, 2021 by News Staff

Vegetarians appear to have lower levels of disease biomarkers that can lead to cell damage and chronic disease, according to new research from the University...

The World Health Organization recommends eating at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per day. Image credit: Ben Davies.

Fruit- and Vegetable-Rich Diet May Help Reduce Stress Levels

May 14, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a study involving more than 8,600 Australian adults, higher intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with lower perceived stress, particularly...

In the Danish prospective cohort study, Bondonno et al. observed an inverse association between vegetable nitrate intakes, up to 60 mg/day, and hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases; more specifically, moderate to high nitrate intakes were associated with a lower risk of ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, peripheral artery disease, and atrial fibrillation; a higher vegetable nitrate intake was also associated with a lower baseline systolic blood pressure and diastolic pressure; the results suggest that ensuring the consumption of nitrate-rich vegetables, corresponding to one cup of green leafy vegetables, may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Image credit: Ilona F.

Eating Green Leafy Vegetables May Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk

May 5, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Consumption of at least  60 mg/day of vegetable nitrate (one cup of green leafy vegetables) can significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases,...

Zhou & Hyppönen observed a positive dose-dependent association between self-reported coffee intake and plasma concentration of low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, with the highest lipid levels seen among participants reported drinking over 6 cups/day. Image credit: Ermal Tahiri.

Study: People Naturally Regulate Their Coffee Consumption Based on Cardio Health

Apr 28, 2021 by News Staff

In a study published in March 2021 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a team of researchers at the University of South Australia found that...

Ba et al. show that mushroom may help guard against cancer. Image credit: Barbro Forsberg.

Mushroom Consumption May Reduce Risk of Cancer

Apr 28, 2021 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine and the Pennsylvania State University found that people who incorporated any variety of mushrooms...

The study sheds new light on the link between sleep deprivation and obesity. Image credit: Sweet Briar College.

Lack of Sleep in Midlife Associated with Increased Risk of Late-Onset Dementia

Apr 21, 2021 by News Staff

Short sleep duration in midlife is associated with the higher risk of dementia later in life, independently of sociodemographic, behavioral, cardiometabolic,...

Sun et al. examined changes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant response and cell damage in high-fat-fed obese mice treated with a diet supplemented with 80 mg cocoa powder per gram of food. Image credit: S. Hermann & F. Richter.

Cocoa Supplementation Mitigates Severity of Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Mice, Study Shows

Apr 19, 2021 by News Staff

Supplementation of cocoa powder, derived from Theobroma cacao, in the diet of high-fat-fed mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease reduced the severity...

Black phosphorus is effective at killing microbes when spread in nanothin layers on surfaces like titanium and cotton. Image credit: RMIT University.

Black Phosphorus-Based Coating Has Antimicrobial Activity

Apr 13, 2021 by News Staff

Few-layered black phosphorus is highly antimicrobial toward resistant bacteria and fungal species; it is one of the thinnest antimicrobial coatings developed...

Vanhatalo et al. applied a systems-level bacterial co-occurrence network analysis across 10-day dietary nitrate and placebo interventions to test the stability of relationships between physiological and cognitive traits and clusters of co-occurring oral bacteria in older people. Image credit: Conger Design.

Beetroot Juice Consumption May Help Improve Cardiovascular and Cognitive Health

Apr 7, 2021 by News Staff

Drinking beetroot juice, which is rich in inorganic nitrate, promotes communities of oral bacteria associated with healthier blood vessels and brain function,...

McDermott & Ambrose report in vitro antibacterial activity of compounds present in Baltic amber. Image credit: Edgars Gjacs.

Compounds from Baltic Amber Could Help Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Apr 5, 2021 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has pinpointed compounds that help explain Baltic amber’s therapeutic effects and that...

Flavonoid-rich cocoa could reduce fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients. Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Cocoa Flavanols Could Protect against Mental Stress-Induced Cardiovascular Events

Apr 1, 2021 by News Staff

Blood vessels were able to function better during mental stress when people were given a cocoa drink containing high levels of flavanols than when drinking...

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